title: Knowledge about breastfeeding in accordance with the national policy among doctors, paramedics and mothers in baby-friendly hospitals.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the knowledge about the National Breastfeeding Policy among paramedics, doctors and mothers in baby-friendly hospitals.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional questionnaire based survey was conducted at the Paediatrics and Obstetrics' department of Civil Hospital, Karachi, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre and Liaquat National Hospital in May 2008. A questionnaire was developed which was based on National Breastfeeding Policy by the investigators after literature search. The respondents were mothers, doctors and paramedics. The questionnaire included demographic profile of participants and questions related to the National breastfeeding policy. Sampling was based on convenient method. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were defined. The investigators interviewed the participants and filled out the questionnaire after taking verbal informed consent. SPSS version 15.0 was used for data analysis
  
  
  RESULTS
  Total of 515 participants were interviewed which included 197 doctors, 99 paramedics and 218 mothers. The mean age (years) of mothers' was 27.6 +/- 7.06, doctors' 29.96 +/- 6.024, and paramedics 27.76 +/- 9.106. A substantial majority of mothers, paramedics & doctors agreed that breast milk is better than any formula milk. More than three-fourths of the doctors and paramedics responded that prelacteal feed should not be given in comparison to 64.7% of mothers. Nearly half of doctors and paramedics never attended any workshop or training programme on lactation management. Similarly, 63.7% mothers were not counseled for lactation during their antenatal visits.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this study doctors and paramedics are well aware of the recommendations of the National breastfeeding policy. But nearly two-thirds of the mothers were never educated for the management of the breastfeeding. This point towards the lack of implementation of the national policy on part of healthcare providers.
authors.affiliation: Dow Medical College, Karachi, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Raheela
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hanif
authors.forename: Erum
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Khalil
authors.forename: Anum
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sheikh
authors.forename: Amrita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Harji
authors.forename: Sadaf
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Haris
authors.forename: Muhammad Waqas
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Rasheed
authors.forename: Sadaf
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.forename: Kiran
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Abdul Aziz
authors.forename: Erum
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Shaheen
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Younus
authors.forename: Madiha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mansoor
authors.forename: Fawad
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hameed
authors.forename: Muzakkir
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Touseef
authors.forename: Talha
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yaseen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000488:Allied Health Personnel; D001942:Breast Feeding; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006291:Health Policy; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009035:Mothers; D010154:Pakistan; D010820:Physicians; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult